:the T-Shirt Chronicles:

From HK...

2009-06-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

doesn't seem like anything special here eh? story behind this is that i bought 2 pairs of jeans at some store (a HK brand that i saw before in Shanghai during my travels during JET)...and the salesgirls told me b/c i bought 2 pairs i could get a t-shirt for "basically" nothing. it was like buy 3 things and get 20% off, so somehow if i bought the tshirt and got 20% off the entire purchase it'd be like getting the tshirt for free...i tried doing the math in my head and couldn't get it...so they pulled out a calculator and showed me...i still didn't really believe them...but whatever. =P

initially i couldn't find a tshirt i liked so i just asked them to give me some extra off the 2 pairs of jeans and leave it at that...but they said they couldn't (or wouldn't, who knows?) but yeah...that was the promotion and they said there was no changing it so i finally happened to spot this one.

look closely...

yeeah, i like weird stuff.

Just because...

2009-05-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

(Kyoto: Kawaramachi-dori - 1900yen)

yeah, i know what you're thinking...

this t-shirt pretty much sums up one of the important caveats one needs to remember in order to fully enjoy Japan. somtimes...it just doesn't matter why. logic is not always present, nor does it have to be. this doesn't seem to bother anyone, so why should it bother the gaijin? in most cases, it shouldn't (there are exceptions of course, but i won't get into that can of worms...), and a lot of the time it can even become a hindrance. it's sort of like how the Japanese like to turn their brains off (from working hard/hardly working) and get smashed at a nomi-kai once/a few times a week. why so serious??? right? works for me!

=P

As any teacher would say...

2009-05-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

i believe most would agree with the above t-shirt saying...ii desu ne?

ahh, soka...sometimes eigo in Japan does make sense...ne?

(Shinsaibashi - 1900yen)

be like me...

2009-04-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

...then the Japanese are a very modest, yet very flattering people i suppose.

i think ppl mostly associate cheap knock-off/replica clothing items with countries like Vietnam/Thailand/China etc...so i didn't expect to see a lot of that sorta stuff here in Japan. well, maybe it's an "asian" thing b/c low and behold...we still had it. still, i found the japanese imitations to be more tasteful, and they weren't really trying to duplicate designer labels per se...more like, imitate them in a tongue-in-cheek/stylish sort of way. i prefer that a lot more (not sure about the copyright/legal stuff); don't try and be something you're not, but take what's good and make it your own.

this one was from one of those stores that didn't let you try t-shirts on (jackets/pants/zip-up/button-up shirts are ok though)...so i was hesitant to bother buying something from them...but they were real nice and tried to be helpful buy suggesting a size, draping the shirt over my shoulders to size it up etc...and ultimately this t-shirt was one "original" to their shop (or so they said...i think they were telling the truth. i didn't see it anywhere else...and i've been to a lot of shops =P) so i bought it for something like 3000yen

(from Amemura "America Village" in Osaka's Shinsaibashi - Namba district)

Stereo-typically Speaking...

2009-03-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

if Australia = Kangaroos/Koalas, and Africa = Zebras/Giraffes; then China = Pandas. or at least that seems to be the consensus in Japan...

for whatever reason, the souvenir shops in Kobe's Chinatown (Motomachi) had a lot of t-shirts w/ pandas on them. seeing as how i have so much "Chinese Pride", i felt obliged:

(from Kobe: 900yen)

and then again, when i visited Yokohama's Chinatown:

(from Yokohama: 900yen)

and another one from Kobe:

(i think i just got this one b/c it was GREEEEN...)

this next one isn't from any sort of Chinatown, just a shop in Osaka's Namba area that i perused occasionally. it was a bit more expensive, but a lot higher quality than the others (and it was on sale!):

(about 3000yen?)

finally, this last one was another cheapie from this goldmine of a cheapo-clothing store that i found in the Guch. i actually found it by accident...once again due to my curiosity.

Yoshino-sensei (1st year Japanese English Teacher from my first school) took me on a short bike ride during lunch to show me this grocery store close to the school. it was a lot nicer than my beloved Tamade, and had sort of a Save-On-Foods feel to it. she never told me where the mysterious escalator that was on your right when you entered the store led to...but one day after school/work when i was picking up some nikku-jagga i decided to check it out. (if this sounds vaguely familiar, it's because i have a habit of exploring strange, unknown places...)

it was like taking an escalator to (cheapie t-shirt) "heaven".

seriously though, i found so much good stuff there: odd tshirts, pants, shirts, shorts, odd Japanese "work clothes", oh...and tabi socks. tabi socks are the term for the traditional two-toed socks that are unique to Japan. you can buy them at specialty stores pretty much anywhere in Japan, but this store had a smaller selection (probably the less popular designs), but they were cheaper than what other places were selling basically the same thing for. about 290yen a pair vs. 390yen a pair on average. in any case, think of it as like...the Japanese "Zellers" or "Wal-Mart" clothing section. nothing high-end or fancy, but you know what? if you're good at digging (which i am), you're bound to find some hidden treasure...and if you like stores like Winners, then you know that hunting for (and finding) a bargain is just as fun as what you actually get:

.
.
.
.
.
...end transmission

Bend, but don't break...

2009-03-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

i really like bamboo.

one thing i wish i could've taken back from Japan with me was a bamboo staff. they had them lying around everywhere at school; in the janitor's closet, in the locker room, just about anywhere. i should've tried to buy one at the 100yen store/Daiso lol...but alas i prbbly wouldn't have been able to take it home with me on the plane. it would've been a cool souvenir; a walking stick to use when i'm an old fart, and a "hobo-stick" that i could tie my lunch too with a cloth. that would be coool...

BUT, even though that didn't work out, at least i brought back a t-shirt:

this one was from Kyoto, in the basement of some multi-level chain store that sold all sorts of random stuff called Loft.

stand tall; bend, but don't break.

Gee-tar

2009-03-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

didn't really know what the design on this shirt was until i brought it home and had a good look at it from a distance under some normal lighting. it was sort of like a "ooooh...so that's what it is..." feeling.

i recognized what these things on the back were, but thought the stuff on the front was some sort of bamboo/plant design(?).

yeeah, bamboo/plants these are not.

but in any case, i thought it was cool. picked it up at a Takeo Kikuchi store in the AEON mall at Dainichi station in the Guch.

this was a big ass mall/cinema complex that was completed just around November(?) of 2006, which was really bad news for Lee Sensei's bank account. a Japanese equivalent of Metropolis @ Metrotown, and only about a 10min. bike ride away from my apartment, this place ended up being where i spent a good portion of my free time going bargain-hunting and window-shopping. hey, i'm admitting it; i'm a guy, and YES i like shopping.

but wait...you knew that already.

Jap-Engrish

2009-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

What on earth...??

O_o

i think i finally came to somewhat understand the novelty of English in Japan, by comparing how North American cultures seem to like having asian kanji/characters from other foreign languages printed on clothing/bags/accessories alike. i guess it makes sense in that regard...it's interesting, albeit not always in a very profound way.

being a "banana" myself (i'm Chinese but couldn't read a lick of it to save my life), i always made sure to ask the meaning/significance of whatever kanji were on a piece of clothing that i bought. especially after hearing about a severe case where someone had a "cool looking" kanji tattooed on himself, only to find out from some random observer one day that it meant "kitchen". i'm pretty sure the recipient of that brilliant work of art didn't have the career of chef in mind when he got it.

in any case, i bought these few for fun:

(front)

uh, what are they trying to say here? maybe reading what's on the back of the shirt would help...

(back)

...or not.

this last one is actually the first grammatical monstrosity that i bought, but it actually sorta makes sense:

(from Okinawa)

Translation: Beware the f.. .....

aah...you figure it out. =P

Goya anyone?

2009-02-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

if the above is true...then I'm sure Adi Dasler would be blushing:

This one's from Okinawa...one of the first places i started the mass t-shirt collection. Visited this southern-most "main" island of Japan in October/November of 2006, the first domestic flight i would take in Japan during my time here. some highlights of the trip would include cheap bacon sandwiches for breakfast, parades outside of Shurijo Castle, climbing trees outside the Okinawa Aquarium, scuba diving, catching a sunset from the cliffs, and drunken bhangra singing/dancing in the streets.

"Goya" or Bitter Melon is one of the staple foods of this region, and is recognized for it's health benefits which have led to the Okinawans being recognized as having some of the longest life-expectancies on Earth.

so i guess wearing this shirt will make me live longer...?

tsuru-kame

2009-01-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

picked this one up in some funky shop in Osaka/Shinsaibashi that sold mostly womens clothing, lots of funky hippy jewelry, incense, and other weird stuff. lucky for me they had a small section of guy-looking clothing (although it's pretty hard to tell sometimes in Japan).

this is only one of many shirts i have that feature my amphibious, half-shelled brethren...but this one also has a tsuru (crane) on the front. the significance of this, i've been told, is that both creatures represent longevity and good luck in Japanese culture, and are commonly depicted together in scenes to illustrate the famous saying: "as the Crane one thousand years, as the Tortoise ten thousand years."

i'd always known the tortoise represented longevity etc...but this was the first time i'd heard this saying involving the crane as well. interesting...

(1000 years...)

(and 10,000 years x 4!)

(oh yeah, "kame" is Japanese for turtle/tortoise)

of monkeys & mice...

2009-01-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

for me, the randomness of stuff in Japan is part of the country's charm. i don't think for a second that i would've bothered to buy t-shirts like these back home in Canada...but being in the hustle/bustle of Osaka, for some odd reason i guess i must've just felt compelled to(?)! it wasn't peer pressure or anything either...not like i'd ever really seen anybody around here wearing stuff like this...

but that's prbbly only b/c i bought them all first! =P

(obtained at this shop in Shinsaibashi, i don't really know why the monkey's holding a gun...or smoking a cigar...but i found the step-by-step instructions very useful, since i suck at drawing.)

more drawing help for fans of Mickey:

...now that i think of it, i never wore this Mickey Mouse shirt to school...or actually, i don't think i've EVER worn it, yet. too bad, b/c i had a student at one school who was quite the chatterbox, and her voice was so shrill and squeaky that it reminded me of one of those yappy little dogs you could hear from a block away. i swear, if she was talking to someone in the hallway i could hear her piercing voice from the staffroom, and quite often if i had to walk by or go get something outside i'd make sure to cover my ears and visibly express the pain that her voice was causing me. everyone seemed to find this rather amusing, and while she was a pretty genki kid in class and behaved for the most part, the thing that made it most memorable was the fact that it really did pain me to listen to that frequency for extended periods of time. her name was Mikki, hence i nicknamed her "Mikki Mouse".

actually, yeah it's probably better that i never wore this one to school. would've never heard the end of it...

starting the new year off with: Beeeeef

2009-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

picked this one up on one of my two trips out to Yokohama. the second one...not the first one where i was homeless for a night on NYE, playing guitar to fellow street urchins at Sakuragicho harbour. that was an experience to be had...but once was enough right? riiight...

Happy New Year!

Music for Mao...

2008-12-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Just another one of those shirts i found in one of those secluded, hole-in-the-wall closets that pass for a store here in Japan:

this is just one of about six shirts i bought (1000yen each) from this place the first time i walked in. i think i cleaned out all his "good" stuff b/c i don't think i ever really found anything there that i liked again when i went back. oh well.

actually, finding/getting to this place was probably the most interesting part:

all along this main covered stretch of Shinsaibashi-suji (covered walkway), there are a bajillion stores left and right...but on the left side of the busyness is this forlorn looking little rectangular table that has an assortment of "stuff" strewn all over it, with no person looking after it. one would just look at the table and keep walking on by...but i noticed it was set up right next to the wall, next to a door. dark door...with a single dim light on the wall inside, and once you looked in and to the right, you'd find a narrow creaky staircase that led up into some sort of "attic":

...venture up into the attic, and there you'd be rewarded with a small, narrow room (again, dimly lit, two fluorescent tubes down the center of the ceiling) that had rails along the 2 side walls just stuffed full of t-shirts etc. hanging there, some shoes, bags, and other knick-knacks...and lastly the caretaker of this operation - slumped in a corner behind a small counter at the back of the room...almost hidden and disappearing into haphazard piles of his own merchandise.

after making small-talk w/ the scruffy dude behind the cash register, i started scanning the racks. by that time, i think i'd developed a pretty good sense of discernment as to what was really "worth" getting (aka interesting, nice, quality, etc...), and so after a few quick minutes i'd gathered about 7 shirts that i thought i liked. i think the guy was in disbelief that he'd had a customer that day, or b/c he thought i was going to rob him.

i told the guy i wanted to try them on...but like a lot of shops in Japan, he said they didn't do "fitting", nor did he even have a changeroom. i'm sure he figured he would've lost some considerable business if i just dropped all 7 t-shirts back on his counter and left, and he was the dude who owned the place (i gathered this from our initial "yes, i'm a foreigner, i'm not japanese..." blablabla intro conversation), so he motioned for me to have a look at the mirror that he had in the shop. i told him i'd just try 'em on out here then if he didn't mind. it was a tiny shop, like trying on clothes in a shed pretty much. he hesitated, but then agreed...and that was that. i tried 'em on, they fit...except this ONE that would've TOTALLY made my day if i'd been able get it:

dammit, too small!

(refer to the last post if you don't know why me having this t-shirt would've been priceless!)

anyway, the rest of 'em were fine, so it wasn't all a loss.

i have to say, i felt slightly pleased with myself for a)finding such an odd shop, and b)managing to break some normally pretty strictly enforced "rules" in the japanese store: no "fitting" (trying on t-shirts), and no pictures.

i dubbed it the "Shady Shinsaibashi T-shirt shop", and whenever i found myself in the area while accompanying friends on vacation, i made a note of it to take them there. almost every single person i brought there would walk away with at least one purchase...and needless to say the shopkeeper dude remembered me well.

here's another one from the initial visit:

that's all until next time...

Banana-Ts...

2008-12-15T17:22:00.000-08:00

(from the Giordano shop in Kobe)

my obsession w/ bananas didn't necessarily start in Japan...(i've always known they were healthy and ate them for their health benefits and as a quick way to charge/recharge for triathlon-training)...it's just that i ate them so much more (almost exclusively) in Japan b/c they were the only fruit that was relatively cheap ALL the time.

strawberries? unless you get them in season (even then, only at the super-cheapo store), they're going to cost you about 7-800yen a little box. apples? sometimes they're around +100yen each! same w/ oranges, grapefruit, etc...oh and don't even THINK about buying grapes. but BANANAS on the other hand...AHA! they're always less than 200yen for a little bundle of 4-5. if you want the "fancy" ones with the sticker that says "del Monte" or "Dole" well, then you may pay 1-200yen more, but still they're a bargain compared to the rest.

and did you know: a "long time ago..." bananas used to be really expensive in Japan? so expensive in fact, that they were only reserved as a food to be bought for consumption if you were sick/ill??? i'm not joking...this information came from more than one local source in Japan, and was confirmed every time i asked to make sure...wow.

but ANYWay...so i adopted the banana as my ichi-ban suki no furutsu (favorite fruit) here in Japan, and as one would observe from reading all the notes/letters my students wrote me...everybody knew it too. pictures and writings about turtles and bananas filled pretty much every other page, along w/ all the usual "thank you's", "i love you's", "i need you's", "please come back to Japan/our school's", "i have a stomach ache's"...(yeah...some kid wrote that, funny boy)...can't fault them for consistency i guess.

anyway, those notes/letters are a whole other post all together - probably my most treasured cargo from Japan (even more so than all these tshirts!), but where was i again?? o right...the bananas.

so i biked to/from school every day, and pretty much 99% of the time i left school on my bike, i'd have a banana all unpeeled and ready to eat for the ride home. whether it was a long ride...or short ride...didn't matter. at first kids would be wide-eyed/laughing hysterically, and eventually the more outgoing ones would even come up to me as i was walking over to my bike and "check-up" on me and ask something about "where's the/your banana?".

i'd find a garbage can to throw the peel in along the way home (usu. at a konbini) too, or i'd toss it in my basket and throw it away when i got home. never, not EVER did i litter...b/c well, hey i'm a teacher and i'm supposed to set a good example right? right...

the looks/comments you'd get from just eating a banana in public, albeit riding a bike, just hilarious. you'd think nobody in the city had ever seen someone eating a banana before or something...either that, or they were just so happy to be able to say an English word (they'd point and say: "OH! Banana!!"). i guess it could be b/c it's such a bright yellow fruit, highly visible...they even have a whole family of cartoon characters that are...well, bananas! "elite" bananas, led by the one named "banao". and nowhere else i've been has had so many t-shirts that feature bananas as well...so in a way, i guess it was just meant to be.

ok that's enough about bananas for now i guess...if you'd like to know more about bananas, bananas in Japan, or Japanese bananas vs. other foreign bananas, i'd love to have a chat about it over a cup of banana juice or something. really, i would.

i leave you w/ yet another banana-t...this one i call ero-banana:

(from Spinn's Shop - Kyoto)

Running Ninja...

2008-12-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

taken from the infamous UNIQLO collection of t-shirts. these come out once a year in limited quantities (depending on demand/exclusivity of the designs i guess) as part of the "UT" project.

"UT" (standing for: Uniqlo T-shirts i assume...) is a prime example of Japanese fashion marketing that absolutely kills dimwits like me. they get people (all kinds: big corporations, traditional companies, small-business, big-name designers, independent artists, etc.) to submit their designs (kind of the same idea as "threadless.com" i guess) and then they roll them out slooowly...in limited batches at first. the designs range from plain (simple front print), to more complicated/unique (back/side/arms), and promote everything from products, companies, emotions, photography, music...food...you name it.

a few new ones every couple of weeks to keep you on the lookout. and the smartest thing of all is the "bulk discount"; buy one at 1500yen a pop, two for a little bit less, three for even cheaper...all the way down to i think it was four for like 1000yen each or something like that. add in the fact that after a few weeks on display some shirts go on sale, either b/c they're getting "old", or sometimes it's just spontaneous...and also, certain shops in different locations don't always have the same designs (i.e. Kobe's Uniqlo may have certain shirts that they don't have in Osaka, or Kyoto, etc...) although the majority of them are everywhere.

if you're lucky enough to be able to wait it out till the "real" end of season...you can pick them up for 500yen, or sometimes even 390. but then of course, you take the chance of the one you want being sold out...or they don't have your size. so that was the predicament: buy them on sight, at the risk of forgoing the bulk discount, or wait it out??? sometimes you can find 2 you like...but not another 2 to make 4 so you can get them all for 1000yen each...and you're afraid they'll sell out of the ones you already see...so maybe you buy them. a week later you see that if you'd have waited a little longer for the NEW shirts that came in...you could've...*sigh*...one of the company's latest slogans that i saw before leaving the country said it all:

TOO MANY T-SHIRTS!!!

i'd like to think that all the ones i did end up buying were "worth" it b/c they're unique/funny/interesting enough to me, and that they're truly expressive of the time i spent in Japan...but then again who am i fooling? i'm just glad i didn't get raped by customs shipping them all back home! =P

here's my weak attempt at trying to post a low-tech vid/clip of the "Running" ninja...

Spider Rabbit...

2008-12-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

picked this one up at a shop on top of a supermarket in the Guch. first off i would've never would've even noticed the supermarket if it hadn't been for Yoriko (1st teacher i taught w/ when i arrived) showing me one afternoon during lunch. she only showed me the grocery store; it was my curious nature that led me up the suspicious-looking escalator...which took me from the 1st floor (food & produce, sorta like a Save-on-Foods)...up through a portal to a land filled with cheap, unique, and most of all...amusing clothing.

(Spider-man is extremely popular here in Japan so i understand that much...but the rabbit?? beats me...)

throughout my 2-year tenure in the Guch i would periodically return to this "secret garden" to peruse the goods...and converse w/ the obachans at the cash register using broken Japanese and/or English. they would(embarrassingly) come to recognize me as the "otokomae" gaijin who they'd thought was Japanese, but was in fact Canadian, and was also Chinese, and taught English at the neighborhood JHS. lovely... =\

well, on the bright side...i guess it's nice to be recognized/acknowledged? lol

matta ne...

Enter: THE T-SHIRT CHRONICLES

2008-11-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

Ok here's how i figure this little "project" is gonna shed some light on my cultural experiences in Japan:

reflections on past experiences are all based on memories of what we did, felt, saw, etc...and the emotions that stayed with us as a result of those experiences. whether we take away feelings of happiness, enlightenment, sadness, regret, comfort, excitement, or even "nothingness"...it all comes about as a result of something that occurred.

now call me shallow, but i don't think i have the time or mental capacity to delve into my "abstract" thoughts and pull out something entertaining to read based on pure intangible memories. nothing wrong with people who can (write off the top of their head), it's just something that i've lost the knack for. BUT, give me something tangible that triggers my memory about a place/event, and i can probably tell you a pretty decent story. i guess that's why they have souvenirs. in my case, a ton of my souvenirs from Japan are all wearable, and all have a story (some more interesting than others) behind them.

SO...

...i've decided to make the most of my memorabilia and use it to help me tell the stories that are all gathering cobwebs in the crevices of my brain. instead of me just pulling something out of my arse, i'll use each item as a starting point of interest; give some background info or whatever memories it helps me conjur up...and then i'll start pulling stuff out of my arse to fill up the rest.

ideally, each post will have:

-a different t-shirt (or other odd item obtained in Nippon)
-a brief description of why i bought it etc...
-info on where i bought it, and for how much (yes, i've somehow got this crazy section of my brain that remembers this stuff)
-any other interesting/relevant info about the place/episode/time that comes to mind when reminiscing...(salespeople/shop owners/background info about the city/place/slum)

SO, without further adieu...here's the first of many, MANY to come:

"Pretty Pig" is what i'm told the kanji here mean. we all know Asian countries are infamous for their knock-off merchandise, and Japan is no different...except that they don't try to pass it off as the real-deal. it's quite tongue-in-cheek, and as in this case...hilarious enough that people like myself will buy it precisely b/c we know it's not the brand that it's taking a jab at. the fact that the pattern is on the pig's "fundoshi" is cool too. "fundoshi" is that thong/diaper thing that sumo wrestlers wear...i TOTALLY wanted to find one of those for myself, but lucky for you i was unable to find one. still, the shirt was too cute to pass up, and you have to admit the design/imitation is pretty well done. i got the one above in 2008 at this shop in Rinkutown, close to Kansai Airport which is ways south of Moriguchi, about 1.5hr by train. the shirt was 1500yen (so about $15), and it's actually the second one i bought. =P

i bought this l/s one back in 2007 some time at the same shop...different location:

the navy one was 2000yen (probably b/c sleeves cost 500yen to make)...and as you can see, it was somewhat popular w/ the students:

so there you have it..."Pretty Pig".

matta ne...

Fuji meets the Nipple...

2007-10-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

Shimizu Beach, Shizuoka
(from - Golden Week 2007)

Crazy Moriyama et al

2007-10-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

just a few of my favourite memories from Daiyon JHS:

crazy kids...

2007-07-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

...

...and their crazy socks.

Lee Sensei Presents...

2007-07-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my Gong Show...

(Daiyon JHS: April - July 2007)

my ninja in training...

2007-05-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

(Kaji JHS: Jan-Mar 2007)

2007-05-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

"Puma"

(Miho beach, Shimizu - April 2007)

2007-04-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Byodoin (Phoenix Temple) in Uji, Kyoto

2007-03-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

D: God...why did you make my brother so weird???

(Nara - February 2007)

2007-03-07T06:14:00.000-08:00

i didn't do it...
(Sake Museum, Kobe - January 2007)

2007-01-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

beware the Daikon...

2007-01-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

Dances with Deer...

(Nara - December 26 2007)

2006-12-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

how the pimp daddy's roll in Kyoto...

2006-11-09T04:37:00.000-08:00

sunset from the cliffs in Okinawa...
(November 2006)

2006-11-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

making Kimchi in Osaka's "Korea Town"

2006-10-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

geeks in Osaka...
(October 2006)

2006-10-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

licking frogs @ Fushimi Inari (in Kyoto)

2006-10-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Daini JHS: Sports Festival (Sunday, September 24 2006)

2006-09-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Lost in Osaka...

(can you spot the 2 whities?)

2006-09-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

hmmm, maybe THIS will help me kill those damn mosquitoes...

2006-08-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

my Japanese feet

2006-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Canada Day @ Spanish Banks - July 1st 2006

"Flower on the Beach"

(a little song to go w/ the scenery)

Afraid...

I wrote this song, with you in mind
but I don't know if you will ever get to hear it...
I think that if you did that you would laugh at me,
and walk away...

I wish that I could have the guts
Just to walk right up and say exactly how I feel,
but a girl like you could never fall in love with me...
so what's the point?

Someone must've granted my wish
'cuz I didn't know that girls like you still exist
I think that you and I could have fun,
you're the reason that I'm writing this song...

I'm afraid to let this time run out
but afraid to give it all away
Standing right beside you,
that's exactly where I wanna be
I just don't know how to tell you
just don't know what to say...

'cuz I'm afraid...

2006-06-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

"Sacred" firewood...

2006-05-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

lunchtime @ BCIT Burnaby Campus...

2006-05-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

busy bee...

2006-03-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Westcoast Treadmill with a view:

False Creek...

2006-03-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

burning bright...

2005-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

part of Session 8 (October 13, 2005)

the further this develops, the greater my admiration for the artist's talent and skill becomes. the detail, accuracy, and creativity involved with doing a piece like this (much of it freehand!) truly amazes.

2005-09-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

XTC Off-Road Triathlon @ Buntzen Lake: swim exit

2005-07-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

summer is here...
(kits beach outdoor pool)

2005-04-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

spring has sprung...

2005-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

up on the hill @ Yiu Tung Estate on HK Island

2005-03-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

"when's raph coming home?"

2005-01-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

bamboo forest in Japan (taken by Kari)

2004-12-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

mall madness

2004-11-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Lions Lagoon @ Waterloo Park...

2004-10-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

scouring the campus for "wildlife"

2004-10-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Gender Roles...

2004-09-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

2004 Celebration of Light: Spain

2004-08-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

vancouver's tribute to the nipple

2004-08-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

"Evil Raph" (Gr. 2/3? 1988/9)

2004-07-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

look at that ugly little girl chewing on her milkbone treat...

2004-07-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Spanish Banks

2004-07-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

"just back that ass up..." (July 2004 @ the GVR Zoo)

2004-06-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

brother thomas: keeper of the meat

2004-06-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

exposed

2004-05-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

mmm...perks!

2004-05-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

lunchtime scenery...

2004-05-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

tax dollars at work...

2004-05-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

lunch time...

2004-05-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

work @ BCIT DTC

2004-04-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

freaks at night!

2004-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

stone by day....

2004-02-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

"Dino-Raph" (CCF Winter Retreat 2004)